Soda Pop Promises
by Status Quo
Summary: In which the Prince of all Saiyans gets some advice from a little girl... [oneshot]


**Author's Note:** I'm not even going to try and rationalize where this idea came from. It is nothing more than an exercise in feel-good fluff so sugary sweet it will rot your teeth. Take it as a fic born from not enough sleep and a cuteness quotient that hasn't been filled.

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A girl!

He couldn't believe it.

It had been two weeks since Bulma had told him that he, the Prince of all Saiyans, would soon be the proud father of a little baby girl. The news had left Vegeta stunned trying to come to terms with how that was even possible. Even that fool Kakarot had managed to father two sons but somehow he would end up with a pink-loving, giggling girl.

It boggled the mind.

Bulma, for her own part, had taken to the news with the same fervor she did whenever her favorite designer had a new line she couldn't wait to get her hands on. The blue-haired woman had set about having the nursery painted pink as all sorts of 'baby consultants' paraded around Capsule Corp showing the woman different swatches of fabric as she 'ooed' and 'aahhed' wondering which ones would match the drapes and accentuate the little yellow flowers painted on the walls. Hell, even Trunks had taken the news better than him once the boy got over the fact that he wouldn't have a little brother to boss around.

Everyone had been so caught up in the news of Bulma's pregnancy that it had taken her and Chi-Chi mere days to throw together the party that was currently proving to be quite the headache to a man who wanted only some peace and quiet.

Everyone had started arriving at around noon bringing with them gifts and an assortment of foods that they left on the already overflowing banquet tables. Bulma had decided to decorate the garden once more taking the liberty of having her robots hang pink streamers on the trees and tying pink balloons to every surface she could get her hands on. Everywhere he looked Vegeta could only see a field of pink and glitter that just about made him nauseous. The man had just about lost the contents of his lunch when those morons started congratulating **him** on the child as if it was anything to be proud of. A stern look from Bulma had been all that saved Yamcha from getting his head blasted off after an ill-timed quip.

Even though the food had already been devoured the party was still in full swing as people passed around presents and placed their hands on Bulma's stomach. Since everyone had been far too busy training for the androids while she was pregnant with Trunks, Bulma had insisted that this time she have a proper baby shower. Vegeta would have been happy to give the little celebration a miss but he had soon realized that a pregnant woman was a sight more terrifying than anything he'd seen while working under Frieza.

So, it was with great hardship that he had found himself leaning under the shade of a tree trying to drown out the near deafening noise of the woman screeching in joy as she held up some frilly dresses Kakarot's mate had brought her.

A girl.

What the hell was he supposed to do with a girl?

Vegeta knew many things but his education was certainly lacking in that particular subject. The only time he'd come in contact with little girls was when he'd massacred their families and washed their blood off his hands. At one time he had delighted in the sounds of their futile cries for help but now, now those memories brought nothing but darkness to the man. He thought he could shed this small grain of compassion that had taken seed in his heart but he couldn't. His family had shown him a new way and, in his lowest moments, he wondered if he could ever go back to the killer he once was.

Perhaps that was why the thought of having a girl shook him to his core? He had always been strict with Trunks and demanded many things from his son. He was hard on the boy and never shied away from calling him a brat or using his fists to put him in place when he acted out. It was all the parenting Vegeta knew but you simply couldn't do that with a girl, could you? Girls required a gentle touch and he didn't know if he had it in him.

With a sigh, the man leaned his head against the tree and tried to will away their visitors. In a few hours he would finally have some peace and quiet so he could be alone with his thought once more.

The jokes and laughs all fell into the background as he tried to calm his mind and the agitation that was building inside of him.

There was nothing but the calm black space that he could lose himself in.

Nothing but the sound of his breathing to steady his nerves.

Nothing but the tugging on his pants that made onyx eyes open wide as he aimed pointed glare at his soon to be target.

However, that glare soon turned into a look of surprise as he saw a chubby little hand pulling on the fabric of his pants. A chubby little connected to a chubby little arm that ended in two blonde ponytails bobbing up and down as the hand finally slipped from his pants as bright blue eyes stared up at him with a mix of apprehension and a healthy dose of fear.

This had to be that tin bucket and baldie's brat. He'd never actually paid any attention to her but he vaguely remembered her on the stands when they had been at the tournament.

What the hell did she want?

"Um…Mr—Mr. Vegeta?" A tiny voice stuttered as she stared up at him before quickly looking back down and scuffing her shoes against the dirt. Her pale cheeks bloomed with color as she looked down clutching a blue can in her other hand as she fidgeted with it.

All her life, Marron had been told that she was lucky to have so many uncles that cared about her. Her papa would spend hours regaling his daughter about all the exploits he and Uncle Goku had been on when they were younger. Uncle Yamcha would sneak her extra sweets when her mama told her no and even Grandpa Roshi would give the girl the occasional piggyback ride when he could pull himself away from those exercise shows. She had so many aunts and uncles that she needed both hands to count them and she knew they would always do their best to protect the world no matter what. The men in her life were all her uncles; all except Mr. Vegeta. Even though he was married to Aunt Bulma he was always Mister, never Uncle.

Marron may have still been a young child whose head was perpetually in the clouds but even she noticed the underlying tone of uneasiness in the rare moments that her parents actually spoke about the man. She was still far too young to understand it but there was always a shift in her Papa's stature and a coldness in her Mama's gaze whenever they brought up the man. That apprehension had transferred over to their daughter who right now was shaking like a leaf looking up at the man as if he'd grown three heads.

"What do you want?" His asked making no show to hide his annoyance. There he'd been minding his own business and trying to ignore the ever-growing party noises when this little brat had intruded on his solitude.

"Um…I…I…" The meek little girl couldn't stop stuttering as her grip tightened on the can until Vegeta could see her knuckles turning white. She was scared, terrified even and her sputtering wasn't helping to calm his mood. His own hands had balled into fists as he fought the urge to just yell at her to get on with it.

"Well? Spit it out already!" A throbbing vein was beginning to form on the Saiyan Prince's forehead as he pushed himself off the tree and stared down at the girl who was probably getting pretty damn close to wetting herself. The others may have been used to Vegeta's outbursts but the man could be a terrifying sight to a very frightened little girl.

Her bottom lip started to quiver and tears began to form in the corners of her eyes blurring her sight as she took a step back. She knew this had been a bad idea but she just couldn't run away. The man's fiery glare had her trapped in place as she fought back the tears that were threatening to spill forth. If she cried right now Trunks would never stop calling her a crybaby.

The scary man in question was beginning to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched her fight against the tears whimpering softly trying to hold back what couldn't be stopped. There were many things the man would bravely face and many challenges he had overcome but one thing was certain; Vegeta did not deal with crying children.

Whenever Trunks had burst out into sobs he'd been all too happy to hand the boy over to the Woman or her overly perky mother. Even at the smallest hint that waterworks were coming the Saiyan would bolt from the room leaving someone else to deal with it. As Trunks had grown he'd been able to tell the boy to dry his tears as such weak displays of emotions were unfit of a child carrying his blood. The idea of disappointing his father or being called a weakling was usually enough to stop the boy before things went too far. Unfortunately, such tactics wouldn't work on a little girl.

"Damn it." He muttered under his breath trying to see if he could catch sight of her blasted android mother or that useless midget. The android would undoubtedly have his head if he made her daughter cry and while he was sure the tin bucket would be no match for him, Bulma would screech like a harpy if he ruined her party.

She'd already threatened to make him sleep on the couch if he picked a fight with Kakarot so he didn't want to find out what would happen if she caught him making a little girl cry.

"Stop that." Vegeta ordered as he crossed his arms over his well-defined chest looking more uncomfortable by the second. The dark blue turtleneck Bulma had made him wear was starting to feel like it was going to asphyxiate him. By now he was hoping the android would show up just to put an end to the awkwardness and ill feelings.

In a matter of minutes he had been able to reduce a small child to tears. In a matter of minutes he had inspired real fear in a little girl's eyes and he couldn't free himself of the worry that had plagued him ever since Bulma's announcement.

Would his own daughter look up at him with that same fear?

Would his child, his flesh and blood tremble in his presence and view him as a monster instead of a father?

This was the worry that he had never voiced. The thought that kept him up at night even while his mate peacefully slumbered next to him. He had missed so much of Trunk's life when the boy had been an infant and now he was worried he would make the same mistakes with this new baby. Vegeta was a rough man who hardly showed any outright affection. He was a man that kept him emotions close and didn't have the same easy, contagious kindness that drew people to Kakarot. He couldn't treat his daughter the same way he treated Trunks. He couldn't just train the girl or yell at her to stop her crying.

But that was all he knew and without it what did he have left?

"Stop your crying, child. I'm not here to hurt you now what is it you want?" His voice softened just a bit as he uncrossed his arms trying to make himself appear less hostile. Funny, for a man who'd trained his entire life to be as mean as possible he was now struggling to put on a gentle face.

Still, it seemed to have some effect on Marron who brought a chubby little hand to her eyes and brushed away the tears. She didn't need Trunks or Goten teasing her for crying and her Mama would be sad if she saw her cry.

"I…can you open this for me?" A simple, innocent question as she finally held out the blue can she'd been fidgeting with since he saw her. The request almost made Vegeta's mouth drop as he wondered about all the fuss a can of pop had caused. It wasn't even the good kind! It was the one with the terrible mascot that had far too much sugar and seemed to make the boys bounce off the walls more than usual.

"Why not ask your parents?"

"Oh. Mama went to go help Mr. Briefs and Papa was so happy talking to uncle Goku that I didn't want to bother him." Everyone else had already seemed busy either helping out or enjoying each other's company that Marron hadn't wanted to interrupt. That was why when she saw Mr. Vegeta standing off to the side she'd gotten it in her mind to ask him.

"A can of pop?! You started bawling over a can of pop?" Despite himself, the man just couldn't keep the outburst to himself. This little girl was bringing up feelings he had long since thought buried and it was all over some stupid sugary drink.

It wasn't that he was angry at Marron for her request. No, he was angry with himself that he'd nearly brought her to tears over something so trivial. Was his mere presence really that frightening to the small child? Would his own daughter burst into tears whenever he entered the room?

Vegeta knew the power of fear and many years ago he had craved that power but the thought of his own daughter actually being **afraid** of him would break his heart.

Grunting, he took the can out of her hand and popped the cap before handing it back to her without a word. The lone action seemed to be enough to dispel the sadness as she happily took it back and took a quick sip enjoying her hard earned reward.

"Are you afraid of me?"

The question was so soft that the little girl only heard the very end as she pulled the can from her lips and titled her head to the side looking up at the man in obvious confusion. "Huh?"

"Are you afraid of me?"

This time it was only spoken a fraction louder as dark eyes darted around the garden as if waiting for someone to jump out and catch him in a moment of weakness. Vegeta didn't know why it bothered him so much that this little girl was afraid of him but it did and he wanted an answer if only for his own peace of mind.

"I'm not afraid of you."

What? She'd been quivering like a leaf ready to cry out to her mother to protect her from the big bad man and she dared have the audacity to tell him she wasn't afraid?

"I mean…sometimes you're a little scary when you're yelling or when you're fighting with Uncle Goku but I'm not afraid." She paused for a moment and bit down on her lip as if trying to work the words out in her mind. Marron knew what she felt, what she wanted to say but being a child meant she couldn't find the right words. "You don't talk lots but that's okay since Mama doesn't talk lots either. Besides, you helped Uncle Goku save us from Buu so you're good and I'm not afraid of good." She was beaming at him reveling in the glow of her simplistic, innocent knowledge of the world. She still thought of everything as black and white not grasping the terrible grayness that existed in between.

As far as this little girl was concerned there was only good and bad and in her eyes, Vegeta was firmly in the good.

It was a small comfort to know that despite all he'd done, all he was, the kids still saw him as one of the good guys. They didn't know the blood that stained his hands or the screams of pain that woke him in the middle of the night. If Marron saw him as good perhaps his daughter would too. Perhaps he'd finally have a chance to remain untainted, unblemished in someone's eyes.

That still didn't mean he knew a damn thing about raising little girls.

"Are you afraid?"

What? For the second time little Marron shocked the Prince as he looked down at her with narrowed eyes ready to reiterate that the Prince of all Saiyans was afraid of nothing.

"I heard Aunt Bulma talking to Aunt Chi-chi and Mama. She said you were scared because you didn't know what to do with girls. Like you might hurt her or make her cry or something like that." Marron rocked back and forth on her shoes oblivious to the sputtering Prince who was trying to figure out how the woman came about that ridiculous conclusion.

"It's okay if you're scared 'cause you have me. I mean, I know I'm not as strong as Trunks or Goten but I know little girls." Yes, while Marron couldn't fly like the boys or shoot energy beams she certainly had them beaten in that area. If there was one thing she knew better than anyone here it was what little girls wanted.

"So if you need help you have me, okay?" And just like that she held her free hand out to him as if they'd reached some mutual understanding. Vegeta was merely dumbfounded staring at that small, fragile hand for what felt like a millennia not knowing what to do. Her logic was simple, stupid and completely flawed but he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and grabbing those tiny digits in his own gloved hand for a single shake before letting go.

He was still worried, still anxious deep inside but for the first time in his life he felt like he may have actually gained some insight into the minds of little girls.

"Marron! Come and get some cake before the boys finish it all." Krillin called out as he tried to wrestle a single piece of cake away from two very hungry little half-saiyans.

This was enough to distract the girl who could taste the sugary butter cream frosting knowing if she didn't hurry she wouldn't get any. Turning, she took a step forward and stopped peeking over her shoulder and flashing a grin at the dark man who'd helped open her drink.

"Thank you Uncle Vegeta." She called out, remembering her manners though the man did nothing more than grunt in return.

_Uncle Vegeta_

He quite liked the sound of that.

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**A/N: **Yep, I make no excuse for this terribly fluffy fic where I'm almost positive that that Vegeta was OOC for at least a little of the time. This isn't my best or deepest work but dammit it's cute and that's all that matters. There aren't as many Marron fics as I would like which I guess makes sense given her abysmal screen time in both Z and GT. Still, who better to verse the Prince of all Saiyans in the ways of little girls than this little blonde? Read/Review at your own pleasure.


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